The Portland duo Soft Metals present their debut self titled LP on Captured Tracks. Ian Hicks and Patricia Hall, music and voice, have combined to make a mechanical, robotic yet very human record and it’s the result of the by-play at work between Hick’s machine like synths, effects and beats and Hall’s ethereal and dreamy vocals. The album includes 10 synth-pop track.
Opilec Music bring the first ever remix album of San Francisco’s cult synthesizer-punk legends, The Units. Reworks by Alexander Robotnick, Chris Carrier, Daniele Baldelli & Marco Dionigi, Dompteur Mooner & The Outlier ft. Pollyester, In Flagranti, Klein & Mbo, LoSoul, Nick Chacona, Sinner DC, The Love Supreme and many many more!
Brooklyn band Fall On Your Sword release on DFA Records. “The First Time I Saw Jupiter” creates an atmosphere of eerie, icy desolation; sounds emit outward in what feels like the loneliness and desertion of space. “Rhoda’s Theme” feels slightly more hopeful and less lonely. The song begins with a soft, repeating keyboard line, and then opens up onto beatific synths. There are slight shifts of shape across its nine-minute duration, as it moves from moments of driven beats and rhythms to sections of gorgeous, nearly orchestral streams of sound.
The Exaltics making their first appearance for Crème Organization, with a very atmospheric and interesting EP. The Exaltics unleashing their unique brand of brooding and dark electronix tech-fi.
Domestica produce a selection which gathers up and represents part of the original work during the most experimental era of Gary Ramon’s music career. The songs that Gary Ramon edited during the Modern Art era (from approximately 1982 to 1989) were basically from cassettes; most of his music didn’t take off outside of the English ‘Underground’ scene in the 80’s.
Tracks from Morphology’s Urania’a Mirror album remixed by Hardfloor, Headnoaks, Legowelt and Arne Weinberg. Stunning remixes from some of Europe’s finest techno warriors of selected tracks from Morphology’s debut album for Zyntax Motorcity. Alongside Hardfloor with their superb reinterpretation of ‘Absence of Matter’ feature Headnoaks, an upcoming artist from Germany, who delivers a gorgeous electro version of ‘Hydrus Constellation’; Legowelt, with a sultry techno rendition and Arne Weinberg, with a somewhat and most welcome, darker take than his usual style of recording for ‘Into the Unknown’.
Sweet athmospherical tracks from Josh Dahlberg on Blank Artists. The EP comes with remixes from Planet E’s Monty Luke and classic electro producers Ectomorph . In addition to the remixers, Josh Dahlberg collaborated with musicians from Detroit’s Rock and Funk communities (Will Sessions) for songs on the A Side.
The third release by Nuel on Aquaplano, featuring some alienated intergalactic electro, reminiscent to Urban Tribe/DJ Stingray.
“Sam Baker’s Album” operates within recognisable Brainfeeder territory: instrumental tracks with compressed sound; unquantized, misshapen beats, with an analogue haze hanging over it all like smog (although Baker actually works digitally, favouring the Roland SP-303). But within these familiar parameters Baker successfully applies his creativity to making funk-derived sample-based hip hop sound fresh.
Danny Wolfer’s is back again on Greece’s Echovolt label. Once again we see his trademark style of soulful, narrative electronic music spread across these four barrio tinged tracks, the standout being the massive Poverties Paradise which is a deeply emotional vocal excursion reminiscent of some of the most classic Chicago cuts with the signature Legowelt stamp planted firmly on it.
Microthol return to TRUST with a new EP ‘Supergravity’. Far fiction electro once again serves as a way point for tracks like ‘Supergravity Solutions’ and ‘Atlas Detection’, while the outlandish polyrhythmics of ‘Andolit Swaras’ prove microthol’s ability to create strangely compelling abstract electronica. The EP’s final track, ‘The Bliss’, provides another surprising turn. Working with Sensational, legendary MC for the NYC Jungle Brothers, and Dj Brace, Microthol deliver a weighty workout of industrial acid hip-hop.
The first full Om Unit release of 2011 comes courtesy of Civil Music. Namely “The Timps”, a full electro workout featuring 3 original tracks and remixes from Salva. As digital bonus a Hrdvsion remix is available.
This was supposed to be the first release on the sub-label Exposed Black, from the parent net label Exposed Audio, but was never released. Tracks from Das Komitee, Masstyk, Mihai Popoviciu, The Model and Toygun. This was compiled by Jay Bliss in 2006.
